


TG2BT (Too Good To Be True)

by laurensdirection



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Chicago (City), Friends to Lovers, M/M, Roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-28 15:31:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6334498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurensdirection/pseuds/laurensdirection
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Private college students Louis and Harry are in a bit of a predicament. Harry’s old roommate Nick left months ago, leaving him with all of the rent and scrambling to cover it each month. Louis’ landlord is raising the rent in his terrible apartment, forcing Louis to pay up or get out. Luck brings them together through a one-off Craigslist roommate ad and divine intervention. Featuring best friends Niall Horan and Liam Payne, who always keep things interesting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have always loved reading and writing fan fiction, starting back with Harry Potter and Twilight days. This is the first thing I'm posting for 1D, but have lots of other stories and drabbles on my laptop that could be posted too. Be kind, and share a message or favorite. Love to hear feedback. You can also find me on tumblr at laurens-direction.tumblr.com

Louis Tomlinson couldn’t believe the fact that he had to have bowl on the floor in the middle of his living room.

The space wasn’t all that big, home to a tan-colored couch, bookshelves overloaded with textbooks and novels, and an old, covered in dust TV that sat atop a small black table. The rest of the apartment wasn’t much bigger. His kitchen thankfully had full-size appliances and enough shelf space to store his caffeine supply, and most of his tea took up quite a bit. 

The one-bedroom apartment was a solace of quiet space and was the only real place he could move into after his best friend Liam up and decided to move in with his girlfriend, Sophia last year. He hadn’t planned on living alone but it had worked out pretty well considering. 

Until yesterday morning, that is. The renter upstairs definitely had leaking pipes, trickling droplets of water out of his ceiling at a constant rate. He knew because he could not get the “clicking” sound of water hitting the bowl out of his head, like the telltale beep from the grocery store till, or the tic of a grandfather clock.  

He was happy to be teaching all day, leading labs and a discussion for the intro biology students at his university. Spending all day in the air conditioning and away from the incessant dripping was incentive enough to stay as long as he could on campus. 

It was after all the students had turned in their finished lab reports and left, that he gathered his things and started walking back home to his apartment. The sounds of the city littered off around him, and he tuned it all out with John Mayer songs in his ear, listening to his crooning voice all the way home. 

As part of his routine, Louis waited for his old, scary elevator to ping open to take him to his 7th floor apartment. He was too tired to even attempt the staircase to his left. He waved politely to a neighbor he saw frequently as she exited the elevator and he went in, ascending quickly after pressing the right button. 

Using his keys to unlock the deadbolt and the regular lock on the doorknob, Louis shuffled into his space, grimacing immediately when he pulled out the headphones out of his ears and immediately heard the clear drops of water, still trickling into the bowl he had left out earlier this morning. By the overflow of water that was puddling on the floor, staining the old, worn hardwoods, it looked like his maintenance request had been ignored. 

_Oh, just fucking lovely._  

Instead, it looked like the landlord had dropped off a letter, slid under the front door and waiting near Louis’ neat stack of shoes. 

Sliding his bag onto a hook near the door, he reached forward to read the envelope that read “Tangrin Management Company: Renewal Notice” with a pressed red stamp indicating an immediate response needed. 

Louis couldn’t help but laugh out loud, scoffing. “Immediate response my ass.” He threw the unopened envelope on the kitchen counter as he went to his room. 

After changing into shorts and a tank top, he walked around his kitchen island toward the fridge, wanting to reheat what was left of last night’s dinner. Since he had a night of grading labs ahead of him, Louis treated himself yesterday to making lots of his favorite bowtie pasta and frozen garlic bread. 

Putting the food in the microwave to reheat, he found what was left of his boxed white wine and poured himself a glass. His fridge might not always have the most food in it, as he often forgot to stop by the store, but he would never be without a box of wine or random six-pack Liam and Oli would leave after a party. 

After the microwaved pinged and his papers were all situated on the coffee table since, Louis decided to take a peek at the landlord’s letter. 

It took only about 30 seconds to scan the piece of paper before the anger set in. 

“$100-fucking-dollar increase per month? What the actual fuck,” he roared into the room, his voice carrying loudly. “For this shitty place?” Louis glanced quickly a few feet away from his spot on the couch, where the over-full bowl was still collecting water from the leak. 

The renewal notice, which all renters got to inquire if they were going to stay for another year lease, or leave, was something Louis was familiar from years of renting during college. This was the first time he had seen a rental increase, citing neighborhood competition and demand for rentals. Louis understood the final sentence as renew or get out, with Rick’s loopy signature beneath. 

_Slick Rick_ , he decided a new nickname for his landlord, was not going get any more money out of a one, Louis Tomlinson. As he watched the water drip from the ceiling, his choice couldn’t be easier to make. He was fed up. 

*****

The offending letter now lay under a pile of graded lab reports, which Louis finished over the last few hours. Checking his phone for the time all night, he realized how late it had become. 

After loading the dishwasher and a quick tidy of the kitchen, something Louis made a habit of doing every day, he decided to hang up Rick’s letter on the fridge with a Domino’s Magnet like his mom used to proudly display his art from elementary school. The sight of it front and center in his kitchen made him laugh. 

Louis leaned across his kitchen island, his body slumping with dead weight. His day and long night of grading was catching up to him, and he rubbed his eyes roughly in exhaustion. Even more tiring, he now realized he had to start finding a new living arrangement. Louis groaned loudly and moved his hands to rub at his aching temples. 

Louis knew he needed to get serious about finding a place, especially in Chicago’s rental market. Between finishing teaching his summer class in a few weeks and starting his senior year in September, it left little time to work all the logistics out. 

While he was laying across his counter he heard a notification from his cell phone, which he hadn’t bothered to check most of the day. He huffed, finally hauling himself out of the kitchen, making sure to walk around the puddle of water.  

The display lit up with ESPN notifications about a Blackhawks player being arrested, a missed call from his mother, and several texts. 

Liam Payne (5:16 PM): I can’t believe school is keeping me away from seeing the James Bond movie  
Liam Payne (5:18 PM): Why did we voluntarily sign up to teach a summer class?   
Liam Payne (5:18 PM): [Pic]

Louis laughed as the picture Liam sent was a pretty familiar scene to what Louis looked like just half an hour ago. Liam was sitting at his dining room table, in the apartment he shared with his girlfriend Sophia. The table behind him was covered in lab papers and empty Sprite cans, Liam’s vice, and his selfie face definitely him fake crying. 

Louis texted Liam back, smiling down at his phone. 

Louis Tomlinson (8:47 PM): Mine are all done bro!   
Louis Tomlinson (8:47 PM): Keep up, Suckerrrrr :-p

Only seconds pass after he hit send and his display lights up with a call.

He’s laughing when he accepts the call and hears Liam’s pitchy voice. “I still have 10 left to grade, how did you finish so fast?” Liam asked.

“Well, Li, I don’t get distracted like you do,” Louis replied, knowing full well Liam would play to games on his phone, watch TV, and get up for every reason possible each time he had to grade. They were both recruited late last year to be teaching assistants for the same introductory biology course, so they were responsible for about 50 students. 

As much as they liked teaching the content and working with students in the labs, grading was the worst and Liam took it the hardest, especially since it was summer. He’d rather be doing anything else. 

“I should’ve told Sophia to give me a BJ after I finished, not before…” Liam speculated. 

“Ugh, TMI Liam,” Louis said, “I don’t need to know the details about your sex life.” 

He could hear Liam sigh through the speaker, “It’s so good man, she just gets me… And don’t be a prude since you’re not currently getting any. I told you! Let Zayn take you to that gay bar you like in Boystown.” 

“M’not really into doing it in the bathroom of a club, Liam, sorry to burst your bubble.” Louis replied sharply, catching Liam off guard. 

“You’ll find a good one soon… I promise,” Liam’s voice trailed off softly, his tone sincere, but assertive. Liam was definitely a glass half-full when it came to relationships and finding the “one.” 

“Let’s hope so,” Louis agreed, then pushed on to his newest problem. “Either way, I have a more pressing issue at hand, Payno.”

“What’s up?” 

Louis spent the next few minutes explaining the water, the letter, and the need to move.  

“Just find a roommate in the neighborhood and it won’t be that bad.” Liam reasoned. Louis liked his freedom and his space, but it came at a price. Maybe a roommate and someone around would help him sleep better at night.

“I know, I know…” Louis started to say, biting his lip and frowning. He balanced his laptop across his legs, settling further into the couch. His browser was open with tabs for Twitter, Gmail, and now Craigslist as he typed in the web address. 

“I’ll look tonight and the rest of this weekend and see what I can come up with. I need to figure it out either way,” Louis said with a dramatic sigh. Liam laughed on the other end of the line, distracted by something Sophia was saying.  

For the next few minutes, he typed in his search parameters and scanned the titles of the ads, growing increasingly apprehensive about the mere thought of living with a stranger. He talked through Liam what he was seeing online, which Liam followed up with lots of “hmms” and “oh, okay’s” to placate him. 

“Liam, Liam!” Louis yelled, trying to gain his attention. He could tell Liam was barely with him and Sophia giggled close to the phone’s speaker. 

“What man?” Liam retorted with a sharp tone. 

“I’ve only lived with you or Zayn, how the fuck am I going to survive with a random roommate? What if he’s a whack job? Or only likes the banana Laffy Taffy’s?” 

“It won’t be so bad,” Liam reassured, “you know we’ll all help you figure this out bro. How about we grab lunch tomorrow? Bring your Mac and we’ll go over whatever else you find.” 

Louis was grateful for the offer to help. “The Green House?” he asked, suggesting their favorite restaurant a few blocks away. 

“Yeah alright, but at 12:30, I’ll text Zayn too.” 

“Thanks Li, have I told you lately that I love you?” Louis said, only to hear Liam chuckle on the other side of the line. 

“Thank God Sophia is understanding of our bromance or this would be awkward. Love you too, Lou! Now get busy.” Liam urged, and Louis could hear the smile in his voice. Years of friendship would do that to a person. 

“I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one getting busy right now!” and as Louis was finishing his statement, he heard Liam cackling and hanging up the phone. 

Throwing his iPhone next to him on the faded blue throw pillow, Louis reached over to grab the TV remote to scan the channels. Once he was happy with a re-run of The Big Bang Theory as background noise, his eyes were back on his laptop screen.

At first glance, his eyes glazed over at hundreds of ads. Instinctively, he squinted his eyes shut to rub them with his hands, then opened them wide. Louis sighed audibly and scratched at the back of his head, causing his hair to stand up in at least four different directions.

“Alright, let’s get this over with…” he grumbled aloud to no one but himself. The water from the ceiling continued to drip, but he finally couldn’t hear it over the sound of his TV. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little longer chapter this time, all about a one, Harry Styles.

Harry hurried off the platform, hardly registering the 20 minute red-line train journey home. His day had been insanely busy, so much so he couldn’t even remember if he ate lunch **.** He briefly remembered inhaling a Kind Bar at some point. It didn’t even matter, since couldn’t believe one of the editor’s of _Edible Chicago_ required his help on a special assignment. As a lowly editorial and photo intern, he would never turn that request down.

Even if they ran him around so much it made his legs ache. 

This week was Chicago’s annual summer culinary showcase for new and up and coming restaurants, highlighting talented chefs and hidden gems throughout the city.  

It was all too surreal for Harry, traveling in a black car to the main venue with the editor, Louise, and several other staff members earlier in the day. An expensive Nikon DSLR camera was thrust in his hands at one point during the morning, and he took hundreds of photos. He was originally tasked with grabbing coffees and bagels for everyone, but then quickly changed gears to help photograph the chefs’ in action as they brought in all their supplies and ingredients, simply to start their meal prep. He made sure of the best light while snapping photos of chef-standard white coats and colorful fruits and vegetables as they were readied for hundreds of people to sample. 

The actual showcase event was tomorrow night and Harry had _all_ but the green-light to actually attend the event. 

Halfway through the day, an irate vendor yelled at Harry and the man looked like he would yell at anyone who wore an _Edible Chicago_ name tag, who were platinum sponsors of the event. Louise happened to walk by at an opportune time and heard Harry calm the red-faced man and suggest a solution for his lack of overhead lighting, for which Louise beamed in response. 

“You were excellent, Harry. I’m proud of how you’ve been handling yourself today, I’ve heard other good things from others, too, about your work,” Louise went on to say, a genuine smile on her face. She looked up from the camera around his neck to his wide eyes and reached closer to Harry, putting a soft, french-tip manicured hand on his arm. “I’m glad to always have great talent with our staff. Let’s find a time to chat more in the next few weeks, shall we?” She suggested, before nodding in his direction and taking off to find one of the on-site event managers.  

Harry didn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day, the details of the conversation on a continuous loop in his mind. If he could continue making a good impression for Louise, he might just have a chance. Since he was graduating next Spring, he needed to do all he could to secure a full-time position at _Edible Chicago_ , or at the very least make the right contacts to find a job elsewhere. 

He planned to work very hard no matter what. 

The loud sound of a fire truck rushing down the street pulled him out of his daydream and within minutes he was dragging himself up the steps to his apartment, a quiet 8-unit brownstone. After running around all day to prep for the showcase, his energy level was sufficiently depleted by the time he reached the second floor to his apartment in 2B.  

Any momentum he had left, he lost just by changing into a grey t-shirt and sweatpants, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, and plucking the last banana from his fruit bowl. His khaki colored couch welcomed his whole body, which felt like a blessing from above. Even the complete silence in his apartment was a godsend, the double paned windows blocking out all the noise of the outside city. It was warm, but he didn’t care. 

Across from the living room, Harry took in the sight of the door slightly open, revealing an empty, dusty room. “Ughhhh,” he cursed, rubbing his temples at the stress that’d been building from that stupid, empty bedroom.  

When his then-roommate Nick, fucked off in May and quit school, he up and left Harry with nothing but a note and the responsibility for all the rent. At first, Harry thought he could keep up with the finances on his own, but after three months of paying out more than he wanted to afford, he knew it was time to get serious about a new roommate. His savings had depended on it. 

Finding someone to occupy the other half of his roommate wasn’t difficult for lack of trying. But his savings were stretched too thin, and Harry knew he’d dug himself into a hole by waiting this long to find someone new. 

After busying himself with his phone for 20 minutes, his alarm went off, the notification reading “show time”. 

He groaned, scrunching his eyes tightly shut, rubbing his hand over his face. He had completely forgot about his show tonight, caught up in the flurry of work. After distracting himself with Twitter updates and posting a picture he took today to Instagram for a few more minutes, Harry finally pushed his lanky body off the couch, adjusting his shirt that rose up, and went towards his room. 

Harry cursed when he saw the laptop resting on his bed wasn’t plugged into the charger. 

“Fuck,” he said, panicking. It needed to be fully charged and ready by showtime, since people would be expecting him. Looking back at his phone for the time, he calculated that he had half an hour and it would hopefully charge enough in time.

His room was a bit messy, which would displease viewers, so he picked up some random clothes scattered about and smoothed over the navy comforter on the bed, righting the pillows. As he tossed his dirty laundry into his closet, his phone slipped out of the pocket a thudded against the hardwood floor. It was a character feature that originally drew him to this particular apartment, his small solace in the city. 

“Shit! I can’t afford to replace you,” he muttered, clutching the precious device in his hand. 

Harry shuffled back into the kitchen, grabbing a silver non-stick pan, clicking the gas stove on to heat some butter. In the next few minutes he made grilled cheese, perfectly browning both sides of the bread. He may have worked for the fanciest, foodie magazine in Chicago, but it didn’t mean that he wanted to cook all the time. Or had the money to afford half the ingredients he wished to use. 

The kitchen was the biggest feature that drew him to his apartment, a room he would be sad to lose if he had to move. The space opened onto the living room which boasted large floor to ceiling windows on the far wall, with a door to the fire escape. In the middle of the room was a small TV stand with an even smaller TV and Harry’s grandparent’s old blue recliner, which was placed next to his large, oversized couch. He could comfortably sleep on it, which was saying a lot for it’s size. 

He loved the wide, open-concept space. It made everything feel less empty. 

Before Nick left, the space was more homey with overflowing bookshelves, nicknacks, and a crazy red-blue patterned rug he found at a flea market in Lincoln Park. Now, it was much less eclectic, yet still felt like home. Harry had attempted put up a few more family photos and band posters to fill the bare walls, but came to the realization he didn’t own a hammer, or even know how to hang things properly, let alone make sure it was level. It was a work in progress.  

Finding a rerun of Wheel of Fortune on TV, he made quick work of his dinner. In between bites, Harry checked his email from his phone, hoping for good news on the Craigslist “Roommate Wanted” ad. His e-mail pinged all day, mostly with junk mail for sales and Bed, Bath and Beyond since he stupidly told them the address after he bought a new set of towels weeks ago. 

Ever since posting a new ad with better pictures days ago, he religiously checked the account only to be drilled with spam e-mails or local realtors offering their services. 

Harry was becoming increasingly nervous. Right when Nick left after finals in May, he found a guy, James, who seemed normal. When they met to go over the final details Harry realized his potential roommate was a complete slimeball. He was an older student, who told Harry stories about taking time off to “find himself,” and travel the country. His grey t-shirt was stained in multiple places, and his hair looked unwashed. James openly stared at Harry while licking his lips, and brushed his hand against his arm many times during the apartment tour. 

Towards the end of their meet up, James was mid-story about a time he had a threesome when Harry decided he had enough. Faking an emergency phone call, he ushered him out of the apartment quickly and said they’d finish the agreement at a better time. 

A few days of ignoring his calls, James finally got the hint and Harry was back to square one. 

Since then, he was nervous about finding someone normal on Craigslist, but felt he had no other choice. Between checking with classmates and posting his place on a few bulletin boards, nothing had come of it. Even Niall had offered to check in with his friends, but the mid-summer timing was off and everyone had already sorted a place for Fall semester. 

The savings he had worked to build for years had dwindled, and now he was barely able to pay for all the rent and afford enough groceries. He took advantage of a lot of free food and restaurant vouchers laying around his office at _Edible Chicago_ , which helped offset his reluctance to buy anything more than staple food items. 

A few weeks ago, it had become all too much for him to bear. So he did something a bit unusual… but it worked. And tonight he’d be doing the same thing, hoping for even better results. 

Finally feeling a bit more full and satisfied, Harry gulped the rest of his water and brushed any leftover bread crumbs off his tank top. Vowing to go through more e-mails later, he piled his dishes in the sink and went to his bedroom for his final job of the evening. 

As he predicted, his laptop was fully charged and ready to go. With five minutes to spare, Harry loaded the familiar website, logged in with his credentials, and tested to see that his cam and microphone were fully working.  

Only two minutes to go, Harry looked around at his room to make sure everything was in place. His refilled water was on the nightstand next to the bed, all other clutter was cleared away. Since he wasn’t taking requests tonight, his special box beneath the bed stayed in it’s usual hidden location. 

Reaching over to the drawer on his table, he pulled out his chapstick and applied some on his lips, and finally grabbed a well-used bottle of lube which he sat upright on the table.

Realizing that it was close enough to show time, Harry entered his specific chat room where he saw some of his regulars eagerly waiting for him to start. A few had already tipped, priming Harry for an extra special show tonight. Being exhausted from the events of the day, Harry knew he could play the sympathy card for more tips and kept that in the back of his mind. 

After one more minute of waiting, Harry moved his cursor over the “Record Live” button and clicked once. The silence in his room was deafening, and his own breathing was less than steady as he waited in anticipation.  

The screen changed, enlarging the real-time video stream of Harry sitting on his bed. His webcam was high quality, which viewers loved, especially highlighting Harry’s best features. His viewers loved his dark, curly hair, but were especially fond of the dimples. 

It didn’t hurt that he had a big cock either. 

“Hi everyone,” Harry greeted them, waving his hand in front of the webcam. “Glad you all remembered the show tonight. It’s been quite a day for me,” he sighed for effect, pouting a bit, “so I’m thinking about some teasing and a jerking off, if that’s okay?” His sincere smile and hint of white teeth was sure to have all 328 viewers melting. As he knew from previous sessions, more people would enter his room throughout the hour.  

“Great! For my next show I’ll pull out something special for everyone, so keep that in mind.” He smiled again, resting his hands at the bottom of his gray tank. He was tugging on the fabric, sliding his hand underneath slightly to show his stomach. 

“Hi Canadaboy, nice to see you again,” Harry said, recognizing the screen name of a regular. 

“I see you too, ultrasoft28,” he spoke, his voice sultry and deep. For the next few minutes Harry greeted people and gave them some time to get into his room and settle in. It was a change to his earlier shows. 

Since his first ever show last month, a bumbling, embarrassingly shy jerk-off session, he’d learned a thing or two, which helped his bank account immensely. For whatever reason, people couldn’t get enough of him. 

Harry knew it was that bit of shy innocence that kept people coming back for more. 

“I think I’m getting quite warm, I should take this off, shouldn’t I?” he asked, looking directly at the camera. He bit his lip softly and finally tugged the fabric over his head, exposing his broad chest. Harry wasn’t one for working out or much exercise, but having a high metabolism and a fast-paced job still left him with small distinctions of abs and a flat stomach. 

His happy trail was peeking out above his Nike shorts, which were rolled at the waist a few times. The dark hair invited viewers to follow the trail down, where there wasn’t much left to the imagination. 

Leaning back on his arms, Harry let his viewers appraise his body for a few seconds, just smiling slightly and biting his lip. To bring a flush to his cheeks, Harry thought about soft lips dancing across his nipples and chest, marking his ivory skin with purple and blue, teasing his body. 

“I don’t know how warm it is where you all are, but this Midwestern heat is getting to me,” Harry said, starting to make idle chatter. He had gotten feedback over time that people liked to hear his voice, even if it was to talk about random things. 

Harry didn’t care, because talking to the webcam made the live show a bit less awkward, and he would do anything to be more comfortable. 

“I think we’re going to have thunderstorms soon, I love those..” he rambled on. The chatroom feature of Harry’s room keep moving as viewers replied to things he had said, said hello, or introduced themselves. 

“Hi SexyTravis78,” Harry said, noticing a new viewer in the room. “Thanks for stopping on by. Do I have any other new viewers tonight?” Harry always tried to be polite and make everyone feel welcome. It usually resulted in more tips. As he scanned the chat for replies, he ran a hand slowly down his neck, past his ribs, and down to his the drawstring of his old shorts. 

Since it’d been a little over five minutes since he’d started the live show, he thought he’d better get into it if he wanted to make the most of his time. An hour was his limit, no matter how much or less he’d earn. 

Rubbing his hand over his cock, he felt himself up through the fabric so he could start getting hard. He licked his lips, making sure to look directly in the camera every so often. Because he used the camera on his laptop, the angles weren’t always the greatest. 

Harry did was he could, making sure to lay back more so viewers could see everything he was doing. He sprawled out more onto his bed, leaning against his wall of pillows. He could feel himself harden more and sighed at how good it felt. 

“This feels so good… especially after the day I’ve had. I wish someone would just be here to take care of me... make me feel good,” he said, talking aloud to the camera. These interactions with the viewers made them fantasize too, making them feel like they could be there with him. 

“But since it’s just me, I’ll have to do all the things that I like,” he stated, using his other hand to rub and tease his nipple. They were sensitive, and Harry loved having them played with. He spent equal time on both until they were tender and sensitive and his cock was fully hard. 

Starting to breathe heavily, his viewers continued to type praises in the chat box, saying how sexy and hot he looked working himself up. Those comments urged Harry to continue, knowing people loved seeing him like this. 

Moving a bit closer to the laptop screen, he personally thanked a few viewers who tipped him in the past few minutes and continued to palm his erection. 

“Oh fuck..” he mumbled, his fingertips pressing lightly over the head. Harry moved up off the bed for a second, allowing more space to pull down his shorts and show off his fully-hard cock. The slit was leaking some pre-come and he rubbed it over the head softly. Waves of pleasure went through him, electrifying his most sensitive skin. 

“I’m making a mess, aren’t I?” He joked, looking at the webcam. “Ugh, it feels so good..” he crooned, wrapping his hand around his cock for a few steady pulls. He stopped trying to contain his moans by pressing his lips together, instead letting his viewers hear how turned on he really was. For them, it felt more realistic, for him, it meant more money. 

With no roommate around, Harry for once was grateful of the privacy and ability to be as loud as he wanted. 

After a few minutes of jerking off for everyone, alternating between fast tugs and slow pulls, Harry slowed down as he knew he would come too soon if he kept it up. 

“Ahh, m’gonna bust if I don’t take it easy..” he admitted shyly, his eyes staring straight into the camera as he continued to slowly rub over the head of his cock. His upper body tensed at the movement, then relaxed back onto the pillows framing his bed. 

“Sometimes I can’t help it,” Blushing, he moved closer to the screen again so he could see viewer comments. Most of them said things like “God you’re so hot!” or “Wish I was with someone like you!” but others were more blunt, saying things like “Let me be your daddy,” or “you should be tied up, twink boy!” 

Since Harry wasn’t really into some of the heavy stuff, mostly from lack of experience, he just ignored those comments and did what he liked. 

It was a bit scary for him to share so much of his genuine self with strangers, but it was also liberating in a way. Since it helped him cover the rent, it also meant that it was necessary. 

“Seems like ya’ll think I should tease myself more?” Harry asked, looking again to the chat feature for affirmation. “Well, if I get a few more tips how about I do just that… and show you another one of my _assets_?” He emphasized the last word for clarity.

Within seconds he heard the tell-tale “ping” sound that signaled he received a tip, and his numbers were going higher. When he scanned over his view count, it was over 700 viewers, all there just to watch him get off. 

As promised, Harry continued to tease his nipples, rub his hands over his body, and edge himself a few more times. Once he was really close to coming, he stopped touching his cock all together and rearranged himself on the bed. 

Settled now on hands and knees, he slid his hands forward making it more obvious he was face down ass up, showcasing his tight hole. Most of his regulars loved this part of his body. 

It wasn’t something he’d admit was his best feature, but others enjoyed it all the same. 

He used his hands to spread his cheeks, showing off more of his intimate parts. His thick, hard cock lay heavy towards the bed, leaking more precum onto the comforter. Rubbing the outer rim of his hole, he teased himself in front of the camera for everyone to see. 

Reaching his hand around, he slicked his index and middle fingers with lube, wetting them so he could reach back around and rub it over his hole. As he did this, he could hear ping after ping as tips were came in steadily.

He glanced back at the camera every so often, checking he was in frame and showing off the best angle. 

After a few minutes of slow, torturous teasing on his part, Harry turned around to lay on his back, once again propped up against his pillows. He pulled his laptop closer, propping it up on a simple throw pillow and angled his camera just so. 

“God, that was too much..” he said, resuming his strokes. “Next time maybe I’ll use one of my toys… show everyone how good I can take it...” He announced, knowing it would get people to come back for the next one. 

Harry knew he’d need to do a few more shows, relying on the extra income. With school starting back up next month, he’d need at the very least an extra few hundred dollars for textbooks.

He spent the next two minutes working himself up again, fingers making light and teasing movements along his entire shaft. The tight coil in his belly and weightless sensation returned, and he realized he’s too close. 

He puffed out his lips and shut his eyes tight, “Oh god… fuck, fuck, I’m about to come,” he announced to his viewers, forcing his eyes open to the camera. His dark lashes fan over his cheeks and his lips caught between his teeth. 

He thrusted his hand down once more, sliding his finger over the tip of his cock on the way up, his mouth gasping for more air. With one more precious second, he began seeing black stars beneath his eyelids and let out short, uneven breaths as he worked himself through the intense orgasm. 

It took a few more moments for him to return to the present and look at the camera knowingly, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. 

“Fuck..” he said again, rubbing some of the come around his stomach. “I’m such a messy boy,” Harry admitted, his dimples peaking through. A bit of come dripped out the tip of his cock, visible to everyone. “Felt so good.. did everyone like that?” The last few tips trickled in, indicating they did. 

“Thanks for watching everyone, especially my regulars. Any new faces, be sure to come see me soon… to all those who tip, you know I love you!” Smiling more broadly, he gave a few personal shoutouts to loyal tippers, new usernames he hasn’t seen, and any others who kindly said goodnight. 

Before ending the cam show, he took a look at his highest view count, which totaled over 1000 viewers at one point.

With a final wave and shy smile, Harry said goodnight. “Thank you.. all the love.” And he pressed “End Recording,” but not before blowing an air kiss to everyone. 

With a big sigh of relief, Harry took the next a few minutes to clean up the mess he made, plug his laptop back onto the charger and find a new boxers to sleep in. Making his rounds to the bathroom to brush his teeth, wash his face, and then to the kitchen to refill his water, he finally slipped back into his room and turns the overhead light off. 

The room felt and humid, his sheets slightly damped with sweat. Harry overlooked those facts while browsing his personal cam show account, looking to see how much tonight’s show made him. Harry sighed audibly, relieved to see next to today’s date the amount $711.75. 

“ _Hell yeah._ ” 

Looking back at previous statements, tonight was his highest paying show since starting. With at least one more show later in the month he’ll have no trouble covering the rest of the rent Nick stopped paying, and could even afford doing something fun.

Feeling much less anxious, completely satisfied, and just plain tired, Harry closed his laptop for the night, settling it on the nightstand next to his bed. After a few minutes on his phone checking his alarm settings, Twitter feed, ignoring his e-mail notifications, and sending a half-naked Snapchat to Niall, he snuggled under his comforter and sleep came easily for a one, Harry Styles. 

 

***** 

Without realizing it, Harry snoozed through two of his alarms. As the next one began sounding off, he finally came to the realization he needed to wakethe fuck up.  

“Damn it! I can’t be late,” he grumbled, stuck in his twisted, sweaty sheets. Despite the temperatures cooling at night, Harry warmed like a heater when he slept. 

Crawling out of bed, sheets and all, he managed to shower at record speed, only getting shampoo in his eyes once. Standing in front of his closet, Harry pulled his typical black slacks off the hanger and onto his legs. His white-button down shirt was also a standard outfit staple, but today he added a baby blue tie, expertly knotted, just in case. 

He hoped his hard work would pay off and he would be able to attend the showcase himself.  

Harry managed to pack his messenger back, slide a piece of bread into the toaster and grab a clean pair of socks all within the span of two minutes. He hopped around the hardwoods of kitchen in an attempt to pull his socks on, and wait for his toast to pop up. He heard his phone beep off in the distance. 

“Fuck,” he ran out to grab it, almost forgetting it from the top of his night stand. Before he left his room, he checked his appearance in the full-length mirror on the back of his door. His black slacks were freshly washed, the white shirt crisp, and the blue tie a color contrast to his green eyes. The whole outfit was completed with a sleek black leather belt and silver buckle, a Christmas gift from Gemma last year. At the time he thought it was a random “adult” present, but now the black leather had worn and moulded to his hips in places from daily use. 

Harry finger-combed his curly, half-wet hair with quick hands, hoping it would dry by the time he reached work. He noticed a white mark near the corner of his nose, a remnant of moisturizer. He rubbed out the spot, distributing the product across his nose and cheek. 

Right as he finished blending it in, he heard a knock at his front door. 

“What the fuck?” he said, checking the time on his phone. 

“Harry!” A voice shouted, pounding their fist against the door. “I know you’re in there. Let me in!” Harry finally recognized Niall’s shouty voice. “I need milk for me coffee!” 

“Seriously Niall?” Harry asked, pulling the apartment door open wide, letting his best friend in. “I’m going to be so late,” he mumbled, rubbing his hands over his tired eyes. “Get what you need and get out.”

“Well, well well... don’t you look snazzy,” Niall pointed out, holding a half-gallon of milk in his hand, his mug of steaming coffee in the other. He leaned against the kitchen counter wearing black athletic shorts and nothing else. “Ahh, that’s it,” he watched as the milk cascaded down into the mug. 

“You done, Ni?” Harry asked, his tone sharper than he intended. 

Niall’s head snapped up quickly and he put the milk back in the fridge. He ignored Harry’s question, asking one of his own,“You okay Haz?”

“Just a weird few days.” Harry shrugged his shoulders. Niall didn’t know about his late-night activities, the stress his financial situation put him under, or how today could be _the_ pivotal day for his internship. 

“Hang out later?” Niall offered. Harry nodded solemnly, reaching for his messenger bag near the door. He grabbed his keys and locked up as Niall left, shuffling across the hall to his own apartment he shared with a few other guys who graduated already. 

By some divine blessing, Harry managed to make his normal train with seconds to spare. He huffed with loud breaths, settling into an empty window seat. After few minutes of untangling his worn black headphones, he thumbed into his Spotify app looking for a particular playlist. For the next 20 minutes, he relaxed and took deep, calming breaths, the lyrics of _How to Save a Life_ crooning softly in his ears. 

 

*****

Harry was barely three feet off the elevator and into the _Edible Chicago_ office when Louise strolled by, an iPad and stack of papers in her hand, steaming coffee in the other. She balanced a large, full-to the brim tote bag across her delicate shoulder.  

“Harry,” she greeted him, pulling him back toward the elevator. She pressed the down button and turned to his shocked face. Harry had also noticed how other staff were gathered around her, waiting as well. 

“I need you to check on the photographers once we get there, and make sure Marco and Janessa are getting all of the different shots we talked about in last week’s meeting.” Harry vaguely remembered writing down the different types photographs needed for the spread in next month’s Restaurant Issue magazine. 

He nodded confidently at Louise, although not feeling it completely. “I can do that,” Harry responded. 

“After that, I want you to stick with me and Caroline, okay? We’re going to be floating around and doing lots of press, so I’ll need someone to record and keep more notes.” Her voice trailed off towards the end, as a notification went off on her iPad, distracting her. 

The elevator opened in front of them, and they all stepped back to let others through. 

“Absolutely, I’m happy to help where I’m needed,” Harry said honestly. Looking down, he brushed an invisible fuzz off his nicely ironed shirt while they shuffled into the now empty elevator. A red-haired woman he recognized as a columnist stands too close to his right side, batting her eyelashes up at Harry. He can’t escape the strong scent of her vanilla perfume, or the fact that her arm is almost wrapped around his. 

Louise nods at Harry with a small smile in between furiously checking her phone, which looks too large for her small hand. Harry noticed the anxiety etched on her face. “Michelle should have all the technical equipment we need for interviews and other press.” She trailed off, her eyes going wide while looking at a new alert that came through on her phone. 

“Oh good lord,” she exclaimed, her hand covering her mouth. 

“Everything alright?” Harry kindly asked as they exit the elevator and are ushered into a large, white van idling in front of the building. Other staff are getting in around him and he’s shuffled to the far left side, near the window. Louise ignored his question, quickly tapping her fingers into her phone. After a beat, she raises it to her ear for a call. 

The others around Harry are staff members he’s unfamiliar with, except Simon, a dark-haired, older man who writes a lot of high-profile articles for the magazine. Harry learned of his reputation after a few restaurants threatened to sue him when he wrote scathing reviews and critiques of the cuisine served. Early on he heard lots of rumors about firing Simon, but had yet to see it happen. 

The driver pulled into steady traffic, and Louise sat in the front seat next to him arguing with someone over the phone, “Why the fuck are we short 100 round top tables, Benjamin? This isn’t a problem we should be having today,” she criticized, her voice clipped. 

Harry tried to tone out the conversation to be polite, but was too curious. Glancing around the van, it looked like everyone else had the same idea. With eyes down and ears up, they listened intently to their Editor speak. 

“Who has the contract, did they look at the order count?” Louise asked, the tone a bit more soft and even. Her white-blonde curly hair peeked out wildly from behind the head-rest. 

“Caroline should have the master copy, go find her now. I’ll be there shortly,” Louise instructed, abruptly ending the call. Harry heard her take a few deep breaths before putting the device in her tote bag and pulling out a small, leather bound notebook. 

From the corner of his eye, Harry spotted a very long to-do list. 

The traffic around them doesn’t cease, as it never does in Chicago. The expert driver gets them to the upscale venue within 20 minutes and they all pile out of the van. 

Before Harry attempted to follow Louise’s earlier instructions, she grabbed him by the hand gently, tugging him toward her. He noticed immediately that she reapplied her shiny, red lipstick, her even teeth looking a bright, brilliant white. 

“Change of plans, Harry,” she offered, tugging Harry by the arm through the double doors. He silently wondered how she walked so quickly in pointy high heeled shoes, but stayed on her heels anyway.

*****

Hours later, Harry found himself needing just five minutes to locate a coffee, or any caffeinated beverage. 

The theme of the day became “change of plans,” as his entire morning consisted of following behind Louise or Caroline, and at times, both. As Louise called it, they had to “put out fires” as tensions were high hours before the event. 

One new chef in particularcried extensively because her supplier had brought the wrong type of tomatoes, which she’d neglected to realize yesterday. 

“They’re not the right ones! It’s going to ruin everything,” Harry managed to understand through her tears and erratic whimpers.

“Is there any way you can use those instead?” He pointed to the other kind sitting on the sterile counter, “Or do you want to try to get the other ones in time for tonight?” Harry offered kindly.

“There is no time!” She wailed, more tears pouring down her face. “This was supposed to be such a big night for all of us… I’ve ruined it.” 

Harry continued to console her and offer other suggestions, all of which she half-replied to. At one moment Caroline walked by, stopping in front of Harry with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged, knowing she noticed his arm around the chef in a feeble attempt to console her. Caroline’s mouth peaked up into the smallest smile and she continued milling about the venue with an iPad in hand. 

More photographers and videographers showed up, ready to document the showcase. Some of it would be broadcasted for online content, others for news stations to do stories with. Harry loved seeing all of the different moving parts of the event and knowing his magazine had a huge part in many aspects. He had already learned so much.  

The rest of the day flew by. Harry had learned so much from the different technical equipment being set up in various areas to ADA standard compliance rules, fire code and capacity restrictions, to where the extra Showcase event booklets were being stored. 

After a late lunch of pre-wrapped catered sandwiches, chips and fruit, he’d hurried to assist Caroline who was speaking with press from the Chicago Tribune and ABC7 Chicago. Harry hung on her every word and listened to her speak excitedly about their involvement as sponsors, future editorials in the magazine about the event, and sharing that there might be a few surprises throughout the night. 

Once the cameras stopped rolling the young, blonde reporter who interviewed Caroline beelined for Harry, grabbing his arm for attention. She was tall, about just as tall as Harry. He noticed high, red platform shoes, a short black skirt and white blouse, finished with shiny red lipstick, perfectly outlining thin lips. She did wear the outfit well, as he knew most women didn’t always pull off red. 

After he completed his appraisal, Harry realized too late that it looked like he was totally checking her out. Harry blushed, pulling his lower lip between his teeth nervously. 

“I’m Taylor,” she extended her well manicured hand, the other holding a small notepad with interview scribbles. Taylor gave Harry excellent eye contact, waiting for him to respond.

“Harry, pleasure to meet you,” he replied courteously, clasping his hand with hers in the brief exchange. 

“You work with Edible Chicago, too?” Taylor asked, the corners of her lips curling up. She maintained a close distance to Harry, a closer distance than most people would stand. 

“Just an intern,” Harry corrected. “I’m still in school, finishing my bachelors in journalism and communications.” He smiled brightly, taking a covert step back with his polished black shoe. 

Caroline, who hovered near to speak with another reporter, returned to Harry and interrupted. 

“Harry’s one of the best interns we’ve ever had,” she said proudly, rubbing a hand across his broad back. Harry couldn’t help but grin widely in response, his cheeks flushing pink. “He’s done such great work from us today, but I’m afraid I’ve got to steal him away for one last issue that’s come up,” Caroline explained. “You two can reconnect more later at the showcase.” 

Taylor grinned, revealing very white, straight teeth. She was the epitome of young, beautiful, and successful, especially with working at ABC 7. She couldn’t have been more than a few years older than Harry. “Excellent,” Taylor purred, her voice strong and confident. “I’m looking forward to it.” Her words were directed strictly for Harry, which made him slightly nervous. 

He was never one to be very good at warding off female attention. 

“That makes one of us,” Harry groaned under his breath as they all parted ways. Taylor and her technical crew headed towards the press area, while Harry followed Caroline into a huge ballroom. 

“She seems like a lovely gal,” Caroline said as they walked together. 

“Not someone I usually go for,” Harry offered, shrugging. 

“Too tall? Too beautiful?” She quipped, grinning from ear to ear. 

He wasn’t sure if people at his work knew he of his preferences or not, but he gave it a feeble chance anyway. Harry made sure not to hide his sexuality, nor flaunt it to those around him. He focused on just being himself. 

“Too female,” he smiled back at Caroline, letting her in on the secret. 

“Ah ha. Then she’s definitely barking up the wrong tree.” Caroline beamed at Harry. 

“She’s still a lovely girl,” Harry said. “Although a bit too forward.” 

They continued walking through the large ballroom, which was set up with hundreds of cushioned chairs, all facing a large stage. The setup would welcome all guests before they milled about the rest of the venue, testing different dishes and learning more about specific restaurants and up and coming chefs. 

“You can tell she only goes for the best,” Caroline added, winking up at Harry. “We’ll have to find you a more suitable date for tonight, won’t we?” 

It was the second time Caroline mentioned Harry attending the event. He responded graciously. “Thank you for letting me come, this entire event will be amazing. Everyone should be proud of the entire production.” He gestured to around the room.

“You earned it,” Caroline said finally, and it all Harry needed to hear in recognition. 

They spent a few minutes triple-checking the stage set up, sound, and video projection. During their sound-check Louise burst through the room quickly, as fast as her high-heels would take her. If Harry looked closely, he thought he might see smoke in her wake. 

Collapsing into a front-row chair, she sighed loudly but looked very satisfied. A grin spread across her face, and she looked directly at Harry, then Caroline, “We’re ready for ‘em.” 

*****

 As the event unfolded, Harry mingled and networked, but most of all, he tried to enjoy himself. Grabbing a complimentary glass of white wine certainly seemed to help. He leaned back across one of the bars outside the main ballroom, looking at everyone flittering through the entrance area. 

Chicago’s finest came out in their best cocktail attire, and there was no end to short dresses and platform heels, but he was more distracted from the attractive men in expertly tailored suits. Men passed by him in neutral gray, navy blue, and classic black, and Harry loved every second of it. 

He’d never seen more impeccably dressed professionals in one room. 

Soon, they’d all disperse and begin tasting and trying different chef creations, showcasing the finest cuisine offered in their restaurants. Some offered bite-size options, where visitors could taste test many different dishes. Other chef’s wanted people to have the full integrated experience, offering cooking demonstrations like you’d see on a TV show, with the opportunity to eat the meal afterwards. 

Each restaurant and chef was different, appealing to new and broader audiences. Harry wandered off on his own, after losing both Caroline and Louise, and decided to find a few bites of food for himself. 

45 minutes later, full and satisfied, he had tried gourmet mini-sliders from a new restaurant called _Tanqueray Bay_ that featured feta cheese and a spicy, sriracha-based sauce, a rocket salad with fresh, organic vegetables and chickpeas from _Banzo_ , and more bite-sized desserts than one ever needed to try. He had also managed to down a second glass of white wine. 

As Harry wandered through the event, he smiled and interacted with many people there also testing different dishes, speaking directly with the chefs. A few guests were from other magazines or media outlets like him, while others worked for big organizations in Chicago whom were invited. 

Harry floated through the venue on cloud nine, all the way until the end of the night, when Louise graciously offered to pay for a cab home, since it was nearing 11 PM. He’d been on his feet since 8 AM that morning, and it was a welcome offer. 

“I’ll also send you a meeting invite later in the week so we can discuss your future here at _Edible Chicago_ ,” she said, delighting Harry. 

“Really?” He asked incredulously. “Thank you so much, Louise! This means everything.” 

“You’re a bright young man, and I know you’re done with school soon. It’d terrible to let your talent go to waste. I saw how your work ethic this entire week, not everyone can handle those situations with the grace you showed,” she said honestly. Her lipstick had faded, her high heeled platform shoes had been traded to simple flats, but she still looked beautiful with her wiry hair and genuine smile. 

“Thank you, Louise” Harry replied, still in awe. “I really do enjoy working with you and everyone else. Tonight was incredible.” 

“It was a fantastic night,” Louise nodded in agreement, “and Harry?” she asked, cocking her head to the side as she slid her tote bag higher onto her shoulder.  “Just call me Lou.” 

Harry grinned ear to ear, feeling like there were thousands of bubbles bursting inside him, along with rainbows flashing before his eyes. He felt like he was floating while waiting for the black car at the curb, waving goodbye to others he’d met at the event. 

He hardly remembered telling the driver his home address, let alone the whole journey home.As the car quickly approached his neighborhood, he began to only think about how good it would feel crawling into his own bed. 

 

***** 

After an eventful few days, Thursday was slow in comparison. The morning was full of meetings and follow-up on the showcase, discussing editorial pieces, photographs, videos, and content they would include in the print edition next month, online, and through social media. Lots of staff members around the table furiously scribbled notes as to which areas they were responsible for, including Harry. The meeting adjourned with collective sighs of relief. 

Lou stayed true to her word, inviting Harry to a lunch meeting that would happen the following week. He spent the rest of his afternoon working with Stephen, one of the event photographers, going through photo after photo. 

By three o’clock, Harry’s brain was mush from spending so much time looking at his computer screen. He’d neglected to even look at his phone or e-mails throughout the day, a habit he had started earlier in the week, forcing himself to focus and get through as many pictures as he could. 

He’d worked through most of lunch, finally finding time to order delivery from the deli down the block. For once, he didn’t feel bad about splurging on the meal since his bank account was finally showing positive numbers. 

When he finally stepped away from his desk to eat, he checked his phone for the first time in what felt like days. Missed calls and text message notifications filled the screen, as well as over 100 unread emails. 

Deciding to sift through those later, he saw a few messages from Niall blabbering on about some girl he wanted to date who had a boyfriend and the lack of beer in his fridge.

Harry Styles (3:14 PM): Better luck next time Ni! Movie night tonight? I miss you! :(  
Niall Horan (3:18 PM): Hell yeah! UR way better company than stacey what’s her name. Come by later !!   
Harry Styles (3:19 PM): Will do :) chin up Horan 

No matter how busy or stressed out Harry felt, he made sure to make time for Niall. He wasn’t that good at making friends, and didn’t want to ignore the ones who put up with him. Niall hadn’t had a girlfriend in months and kept striking out whenever he’d flirt with new new girls. He knew both of them needed a boys night in.   

Within an hour Harry was in a food coma, rubbing over his stomach in a slow circle. Noticing a few lingering crumbs, he brushed those off his light blue shirt, at the same time Caroline passed his desk on the way to her office. 

“Styles!” she said loudly, catching his attention. 

“Yes?” he replied, clasping his hands together on top of his desk.

“It’s been a long week, go home and rest. Day off tomorrow too, we’re all taking a 3-day weekend.” Caroline announced proudly.

“Seriously?” Harry couldn’t believe it.   

“The showcase was a lot of work, it’s not like we haven’t put in the hours for the week,” she reasoned. “Rest up and be ready to hit the ground running on Monday. Lou and I have our eyes on you.” 

“Of course,” Harry responded, a broad grin on his face. His smiles were disarming, and even editor Caroline Flack wasn’t immune to young Harry Styles’ charms. His left dimple peeked out, and it was overwhelmingly cute. 

“See you in a few days,” and she strode off to the end of the hall, disappearing into her corner office. 

 

*****

Once Niall got home from his job at a sports shop, both him and Harry walked to the corner market to get supplies for the night, which Niall insisted was plenty of beer, booze and Cool Ranch Doritos.

“I just don’t know how to trust people who like the Nacho Cheese kind,” Niall reasoned. “Cool Ranch is the far superior flavor, don’t you think Haz?” One look in his direction and Harry knew he was dead serious. 

“Yeah Ni, for sure,” he laughed, rolling his eyes. Harry went to another aisle to browse all the candy selections, looking at all the different options. Next to him was a young couple arguing. 

“I hate sour candy, I don’t know why you always buy it!” the female said, putting a hand on her hip. She was wearing a short skirt with polka dots and a white t-shirt. Her hair was a dark chocolate brown that contrasted with her ivory skin. 

“I like how it zings in my mouth,” the man replied, and Harry assumed he was her boyfriend. 

 “You’re impossible, Liam,” the girl huffed, stalking off to another aisle. 

Harry couldn’t help but chuckle at her dramatic exit. He’d finally decided on a pack of gummy octopus and peach rings. 

The guy named Liam looked over to Harry, noticing his choice of candy. “Good selections, bro,” he complimented. 

“Thanks man, maybe you should get something your girl likes?” he suggested kindly, pointing to the sour patch kids in his hand. 

Liam took a few steps closer to Harry, shuffling his feet forward in white and black Nike’s. “I know for a fact right now she’s looking over all the chocolate bars picking out what one she wants,” he said, a loving look on his face. “Now what she’s really mad about is the fact that my ex texted me earlier and she’s not sure if I’m going to respond or not,” Liam admitted. 

“New relationship?” Harry asked, genuinely curious. 

Liam shakes his head, “Almost together a whole year. But I dated the other girl for a few years before her, so it’s a touchy subject.” 

“You love her?”

“Yeah,” Liam replied, his smile growing. “Definitely.”

“Then go buy her a damn chocolate bar.” Harry said, patting his shoulder softly. 

“Yes sir,” Liam agreed.

Harry walked off to find Niall still in the chip aisle, with not only two bags of Doritos, but attempting to balance bags of Cheetos and Sun Chips on top. “You think this’ll be enough, Harry?” the blonde asked staring down at his full hands. Harry nodded at his ridiculous friend.

“I don’t think we’ll starve, so let’s go grab the beer,” He offered, pushing Niall towards the fridges in the back. 

“Now you’re speaking my language!”

*****

The next day, Harry was supposed to remember how blissful it was to wake up to no alarm, but he was more focused on the incessant, back and forth pounding in his head. Trying to take a deep breath, his throat felt coated and scratchy in the worst way. 

Their innocent night-in turned into a full blown party once Niall sent a few texts to friends inviting them over. After 10, people showed up wanting to do shots and Harry vaguely remembered talking a girl Ellie. They bonded over loving the 1975 and argued over their favorite songs off the newest album. 

It took a few more seconds of adjusting, but Harry finally managed to open his eyes and felt sunlight already streaming warmth into his room. The sun wasn’t the only source of warmth, finally realizing a warm body had curled up next to him in his bed. Long strands of blonde hair, mixed in with some random-pink bits were splayed onto his pillow and it looked like a pastel halo. 

Sighing, Harry sat up slowly, pulling the duvet with him. Once he got a better look at her, Harry noticed she still had on a t-shirt but was showing off some seriously tan legs and navy blue panties. 

Definitely Ellie from last night. 

The pressing need to pee became more important so Harry slowly rustled the sheets around him, crawling out of bed. After washing up a bit, he found a few Advil and forced himself to drink a glass of water. Immediately Harry began to feel queasy. He leaned over the toilet, hands on knees, waiting to throw-up. The feeling came and left after a few minutes.

Quietly, he shuffled back into his room, swearing as he stubbed his toe on a high-heeled sandal. 

“Damn it,” he winced, his voice scratchy and low. 

Ellie woke up from the noise and stretched out on his bed, her shirt showing more of her slim figure and tanned skin. 

“Hey you,” she said softly, her voice still thick with sleep too. Smudges of her eyeliner were worn off on his pillow in thick brown and black streaks. 

“Hi,” Harry replied cautiously. He needed to figure out what happened, so he casually stated the obvious. “So you’re in my bed.” Out of nervous habit, he ran his hand softly through his curly hair, ruffling it into more of a mess. It resembled a birds nest of dark twigs.  

“I knew you were clever,” she retorted, pushing the sheets away to climb out of his bed.  “Don’t worry, pretty boy, you were just being polite in sharing your bed with a girl who didn’t want to walk home at 3 AM,” she admitted, walking past Harry on her way into the bathroom. 

Deciding to let her have some privacy, he stumbled into his kitchen. 

While he added water to the coffee maker and turned it on, emerged from his room. Harry noticed she had put her shorts back on and tamed her hair in a ponytail, revealing more pink strands between the blonde. It looked wicked on her.

“So, we didn’t do anything last night?” Harry subtly asked, grabbing two mugs for the coffee.  Ellie clutched her sandals in her hand, smirking at Harry. “Well…” she started to say, her tone suggestive. She giggling at the shocked look on Harry’s face. 

“We kissed... Until you told me I looked too much like a girl, and went into a five minute tirade that I was gorgeous but didn’t have enough facial hair for your liking.” She smiled and pulled her shoes on, holding the kitchen counter for leverage.

By the end of her explanation, Harry had his hands covering his face in embarrassment. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry Ellie!” He explained, his voice muffled. “I’m an idiot. A huge idiot.” 

Behind him, the coffee maker started brewing and the scent of coffee filled the kitchen. 

“You are an idiot, my name is _Perrie_ , not Ellie!” Perrie joked it off with a wicked glare in her eye. Her voice softened and she looked in Harry’s eyes, the height of her platform sandals bringing her up to Harry’s viewpoint. “It’s okay, really. You were very kind about rejecting me. I’ve never felt so good after being turned down for sex before.” 

Harry’s face reddened even more and Perrie grinned at his reaction. 

“And technically I still made it to your bedroom… so who really cares about the fine details?” She smirked and wrapped her arms around his middle. “We can still be friends,” she announced.

Harry sighed and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging back. “I’m going to pretend that this isn’t completely weirding me out right now,” he said finally, as all the pieces of their night came together. Harry suddenly remembered Niall causing this whole mess. 

Releasing her arms around his slender frame, Perrie turned to the coffee maker and grabbed the carafe, pouring the liquid into each mug. “I can’t actually stay, I’ve got somewhere to be,” she announced, taking a few tentative sips of the steaming hot coffee. “But thanks for this,” she holds up the cup. “Needed the pick-me-up after a wild night in your bed.” 

Within seconds, she’s checking the contents of her purse, pulling out a large white cellphone and waving at Harry on her way out the door. 

With the final clicking close of his front door, Harry slumped over his kitchen counter. He decided that once he feels a bit more awake, he’s going to have a chat with his dear friend, Niall, 

*****

 After a long, hot shower, Harry spent the rest of his day lounging around and being all-around lazy. He loved every minute of it, especially catching up on his beloved Grey’s Anatomy, having time to properly grocery shop, and even wash the sheets on his bed. He knew that him and Perrie hadn’t done more than snuggle all night, but a foreign floral scent lingered on his sheets and it confused him. 

Harry mentally thanked Louise and Caroline for his extra day off, which was undoubtedly needed. After waking up from an afternoon nap he felt inspired to do a cam show later that night. He was in too good of a mood. 

As the browser loaded, he snuggled his feet against his freshly washed duvet and cuddled further into his pillows. He logged into his account on the website and update his viewers about the Friday night show. 

_Live show at 10PM! Last one for the week… will take a few requests and do something special for my loyal viewers if we get enough tips! See you then, all the love x H._  

Within minutes, his update was already over 120 likes, which made him smile. It would be a good night for tips, he could feel it. After a few minutes of randomly checking Twitter, he switched over to his neglected e-mail and groaned at the number of unread messages in his inbox. 

“126, really?” He said aloud, knowing his busy week was to blame for not checking his inbox more often. It took the next hour, but he managed to delete all the spam e-mail, automatic responses, and actually find three real people interested in being his roommate. It made him equally nervous and excited. 

 One prospect was a girl named Jade who really only needed it a few months, the other was an older guy moving to Chicago from San Fran and wouldn’t be moving until October. 

The last, and most promising, was a guy named Louis, who was a student attending his same university. 

He walked around his apartment with his iPhone taking extra photos, making sure to get the best light. For good measure, he took a quick selfie in front of the living room’s wall of windows, so it looked like he was glowing as the sun set on the city’s horizon. He plugged his phone in his laptop, including the pictures at Louis’ request. 

When he added the selfie in the e-mail, he captioned it, “So you don’t think you’d be living with an axe murderer! I’m normal, I promise. :)” 

Harry was cautiously optimistic about Louis Tomlinson. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little more on this little dilemma our boys are in. Shall we dive in?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also: this will be multi-chaptered. Still not sure how many.. probably less than 10. Also pt 2: this whole story is un-beta'd. All mistakes are my own.

Louis spent the rest of his Friday night looking at Craigslist ads for roommates.  He thought he hit the jackpot when he saw a listing only a few blocks away from his current apartment that was a second-floor walk-up with lots of natural light, a big kitchen, clean bathroom and plenty of closets.

He immediately responded through the ad, asking if the person could add more pictures and details about themselves. Louis didn’t want to be creepy, but he couldn’t be living with a 50 year old man, or just any random person off the street. 

After only waiting about half an hour, his e-mail pinged with a response. His smile grew as he read the e-mail, learning that his share of the rent even with paying half the utilities would save him money and the space was much larger than he was used to. After looking through the attached pictures he immediately loved that the living room had huge windows and the kitchen was outfitted with newer fixtures. 

Once he saw the final picture of the bunch, his jaw went slack and he couldn’t believe his eyes. 

Harry, the potential roommate, included a selfie. A glorious selfie. Louis couldn’t tear his eyes away from the picture, and immediately began memorizing each of Harry’s features. He first noticed wide green, green eyes, and messy bed-head hair. It was curling in multiple directions, and Louis could imagine twirling a strand around his finger. Harry looked young, but mature. Louis re-read the e-mail to see that Harry was 21 and graduating in a year, too. But none of that really mattered, did it, when Harry’s smile was enough to do him in. 

It felt too good to be true. 

*****

 

As usual, Zayn was late for lunch. Louis and Liam already ordered their drinks and were just about to give up on him and order when they saw him walking down the sidewalk toward their table on the patio. 

“Thanks for showing up, man,” Louis said, eyeing Zayn speculatively as he sat down. 

“Sorry, got caught up in packing. My suitcase is definitely going to weigh too much for the flight,” He responded, referring to his upcoming trip to the Middle East. Zayn got the news a few weeks ago that he was approved and fully funded to work with a professor on a special research project for the fall semester. 

“Sucks to be you,” Liam said, taking a sip of his drink. “We got you a water, not sure what else you wanted.” 

“This is perfect,” Zayn answered, already grabbing his drink to take a sip. After a moment he picked up the menu and looked it over. “I always get the same thing here, you guys should’ve just ordered it.” 

“If you were going to show up,” Liam retorted, raising his eyebrows. “Not always sure.”

Zayn smiled at Liam’s attitude, “Fair enough, Li.”   


“We have important business to discuss, of course I couldn’t just bail,” Zayn justified. 

“Well…” Louis started to say, only to grin wickedly in Zayn’s direction, “it wouldn’t be the first time!” 

A young redheaded waitress approached the table, ceasing any and all teasing of Zayn’s mysterious behaviors. They each ordered their usual and decided on some chips and salsa to share. 

They munched on their food and caught up on each others’ weeks and Liam finally broached the real reason they were meeting. “So Lou, any leads on a place? You only only have a few weeks to figure this shit out,” he pointed out, a bit brash. 

A bit of salsa narrowly missed his crisp white t-shirt, falling on the corner of the table, as he ate his tortilla chip. 

“Actually, kinda yeah?” Louis admitted. His cheeks reddened a bit at the thought of the selfie Harry included and how beautiful he was. Louis took a bite of his chicken wrap to distract the boys from noticing his blush. 

“Well tell us, Lou!” Liam begged, narrowly getting more salsa all over himself as he moved his arms in excitement. 

“The place is over on Lexington, so a few blocks from my current place. It’s a two-bedroom.. so just one other roommate. The price is right, still walkable to and from school... “ he trailed off at the end, trying to hide the excitement in his voice. 

Zayn was already on it, though, and his smile was bright. “Well what are you waiting for? You should meet this guy and tour the place.” 

“Oh yeah, it’s definitely a guy,” Louis responded, biting his lip. 

“Well then it’s settled,” Liam stated in between bites of his panini, “We’re touring this place and meeting him.” 

“I could call.. he did give me his number,” Louis affirmed, his cheeks flushing once more. He suddenly became very interested in eating the rest of his chicken caesar wrap. 

Zayn pushed his plate forward, finished with his food. As he grabbed his water to take a sip, he looked Louis directly in the eyes. “No time like the present, eh?” Liam just nodded excitedly, his mouth full of food. 

“Alright, alright…” Louis said, pulling his phone out of his back pocket. He found Harry’s number from their emails last night and tapped on it, his phone immediately began dialing it. Louis’ breathing started to quicken as he heard the dial tone ring and ring.

He almost hoped Harry wouldn’t pick up, but his wish wasn’t granted.  “ _Hello?_ ” he heard a deep voice answer. 

“Hi, is this Harry?” Louis asked softly, his voice slightly cracking at the end. 

_“Yeah, what’s up, who is this?”_

“M’Louis, the one who emailed you last night about your place?” Louis explained.

_“Oh, yeah! Hey Louis, thanks for calling.”_

“Sure, sure.. I was wondering if you were free this weekend so I could uh.. check out the place? Make sure it fits my.. needs?” Louis suddenly hated having this conversation in front of his best friends, who were currently laughing at his inability to have a simple phone conversation with a stranger. 

He mouthed “shut up!” at them and they only laughed louder. 

_“Absolutely, why don’t you come over now? I’m free.”_

“Well I’m just finishing up lunch.. so maybe within the hour?”

_“Just text me when you get here, I’ll buzz you in.”_ Louis could hear the smile in his voice. 

“I’ll have a few friends with me too, if that’s okay…” 

_“The more the merrier, see you soon, Louis!”_ and Harry hung up the phone leaving Louis stunned. 

“Sounds like we’ve got somewhere to be,” Liam said smugly, his hand wrapped around his water glass so he could take a sip. 

“Both of you are assholes,” Louis muttered quietly, conscious of the family next to him with young children. 

“And the best friends you’ll ever have,” Zayn reminded him. 

Louis rolled his eyes, putting his phone down on the table. “Yeah, yeah…” 

After making Zayn pick up the tab for the three of them as his punishment for being late, the guys make their way to Harry’s address on foot. As they walked, Louis checked the surroundings and loved the old-world feel of the street, full of historic brownstone buildings and charming features. 

“I think this is it?” Zayn questioned, pointing big black building number on the 3-story red brick apartment. 

Nervously, Louis walked up the stairs to the entrance of the building. He rubbed his palms against his jean shorts, anxious to push the button that said 2B with a handwritten STYLES & GRIMSHAW underneath it.

“C’mon bro, let’s see your new roommate,” Liam joked, grabbing Louis’ hand and pushing it toward the button. 

After a few seconds of sound and static, a voice filled the entry hall. “H’ullo?” 

Louis was suddenly scared, failing to responding right away. Zayn realized his trepidation quickly and replied to the guy on the other end.

“It’s the guys who called about the apartment?” He asked, adding, “Louis?” 

“Oh, you’re fast! C’mon up,” and all three heard the buzz of the door, unlocking and letting them in. 

The security door was silver moulded with frosted glass, so they couldn’t see further inside. It was the newest, most modern part of the building, but seemingly for good reason. The rest of the entryway was solid, polished wood that looked original to the building. 

When Liam opened the security door and ushered the other boys inside, he was met with a large side staircase, with wood steps, the middle covered in an ornate looking carpet material. The first floor seemed to house four doors, all respectively labeled with one and a letter. As they ascended to the second floor, Louis immediately spotted the door labeled 2B, which was in direct sight of the stairs. He loved that it was a corner unit. 

Since Liam and Zayn realized Louis’ nerves were dominating the situation, Liam quickly rapped his knuckles twice on the door. 

Louis had an idea of what to expect of the potential roommate that was Harry, but he had no idea the real life version would be significantly better.

When the broad, stained oak door of 2B finally opened, Louis couldn’t help but bite his lower lip and take a step closer to the man standing in the doorway.

“Hey, M’Harry,” he introduced himself, waving shyly. His feet were bare, standing on blue rug near the door. Louis’ eyes canned further up his legs, and noticed his legs bare, save for a pair of grey Nike athletic shorts and peeking above those, matching grey boxers. Louis continued to quickly scan up a white t-shirt with a red logo he didn’t recognize, before seeing the familiar frame of dark, curly hair he came to love from the pictures. 

“I’m Lou--Louis, and this is Zayn and Liam,” he said, pointing to Liam first then Zayn. Louis blushed, realizing his mistake. “I mean Liam and Zayn,” pointing correctly this time. “It’s me that is looking for a place,” he attempted to clarify. 

“Yeah? Good to met you all,” Harry smiled, gesturing to the two boys flanking his sides. Louis immediately melted at Harry’s kind smile, even noticing a hint of a dimple in his cheek. 

“Thanks for meeting us, specially on a Saturday,” Liam replied sincerely. 

“My pleasure,” he assured Liam, Harry’s eyes briefly meeting all three boys’. “Come on in,” Harry said, waving them through the entryway.

“So.. this is a 2 bedroom place,” Harry gestured around him with large hands, pointing to the separate bedroom doors. “My last roommate just kinda bailed,” he muttered vaguely, his mouth downturned. “The bedroom’s been empty most of the summer, so it’s clean but probably a little dusty. This place has great windows, so there’s lots of natural light.. can be hard to sleep in sometimes, unless you get those black-out shade thingys,” Harry’s voice trailed off. “I usually have to be up early so it doesn’t bother me.” 

“Yeah, me too,” Louis added. 

They all shuffle through the apartment and Louis loves the separate bedrooms, with the kitchen and living room in the middle. 

“You mind if I look?” Louis asks, pointing to what he thinks is an extra closet. 

“Oh yeah, go for it, Lou,” Harry responded, mid-conversation with Zayn. They chatted about a large printed photograph of New York that Zayn spotted and both boys immediately went into stories about their time visiting the city.

Louis continued looking with Liam, peeking into Harry’s linen closet which has plenty of extra room for his stuff. Harry definitely didn’t have a lot of clutter or mindless things around, which Louis loved. He couldn’t handle a messy space. 

Liam grabbed Louis’ hand, pulling him towards Harry’s open bedroom. They both sneak a look inside and it looks tidy and clean, with a large bed, desk against the opposite wall, and textbooks covering the top. Not much different than his own room. 

“Wonder what Harry gets up to in here,” Liam joked, winking at Louis while making a gesture with his right hand near his crotch. Louis pushed him back quickly, far away from Harry’s room. “You’re terrible!” Louis roared, catching the attention of Harry and Zayn from the living room. 

“Nothing to see here,” Louis announced, his hands grabbing at Liam’s sides. “I’ve got this one under control.” He pushed Liam toward the kitchen.

They all end up surrounding the center island. Even with four boys in the space, it’s plenty big. Louis sighed loudly, earning confused looks from Liam, Zayn, and Harry too. Gone are his dimples, only to be replaced by what Louis imagines to be the look of a sad kitty. 

“Something’s too good to be true here,” Louis finally said, looking directly at Harry. “This place is huge with plenty of space for the both of us, the price is right, and it’s still close to the university. Heat must not be included, right?” He asked, trying to find the loophole.  

Confusion masks Harry’s face. “No, no.. it is! All utilities are included in rent. I thought I put that in my e-mail?” He cocked his head, looking back at Louis. 

“Did someone die here, is it haunted?” Louis pestered. 

“Lou’s just a bit nervous about moving, he doesn’t always do well living with others…” Liam intervenes, “he’s a bit of a diva that way..” 

“Liam Payne!” Louis chastised, punching his arm playfully. “M’not a diva!” he reasoned, “Just particular.” Zayn rolled his eyes at the two, expecting nothing less from his friends. 

“Well.. I’ll give you the sublease agreement if you want to look it over, take some time to think about it? If it’s me you’re unsure of… we could hang out, or get to know each other more before you decide?” Harry offered with a reassuring smile. “I really think we could make this work.” 

“I definitely think he wants to get to know you more,” Liam mumbled under his breath, a wicked grin on his face. Louis punched his arm for the second time, trying to ignore the heat staining his cheeks. 

“Enough from you!” Louis whisper-yells at Liam, earning a dimple from Harry’s widening smile. 

“I’ll text you later, to set something up? I am very interested,” Louis said more confidently than he was feeling, and looked to Harry’s eyes for confirmation. He’s lost in the green for a few seconds, barely hearing Harry agree. 

“Sure, just let me know.” 

With brief one-armed hugs, Louis felt especially small in Harry’s embrace. They stood inches apart, defining Harry’s height. He casually sniffed into his neck, hoping Harry wouldn’t notice. They said their goodbyes and the three boys shuffled down the stairs to the front of the building, with Liam clapping Louis on the back the entire time. 

“I have never seen you fall in love so fast, Lou!” Liam finally blurted out, his mouth stretching into a huge grin while laughing. “We were only there like 15 minutes.. that’s gotta be a record for you.” 

“I might have seen a picture of him before today,” Louis said quietly, turning his face away from Liam, pretending to be distracted by something in the street.

“So you knew he was smoking hot?” Zayn asked, earning shocked looks from both Liam and Louis. “What? He’s hot, you could’ve warned me.. I would’ve worn something different.” His plain black shirt was what he typically wore. 

Louis shrugged him off. “Harry may or may not have taken a selfie and included it when I asked for more pictures of the apartment,” Louis admitted, looking at his shoes scuffle the sidewalk as they made their way back toward Liam’s place. 

“You left that bit out!” Liam said, stopping mid-step to look at Louis. 

When Louis finally brought his head up to meet his eyes, he just shrugged and tried not to look smug. “Wanted to keep that bit to myself, I suppose,” Louis said. 

“Either way, looks like you’ve found yourself a new roomie,” Zayn said casually, stopping at the crosswalk while traffic continued before them. “And if you don’t bang him, I sure as hell am going to try.” 

Louis wasn’t sure if Zayn was joking or serious, but he wasn’t going to wait and find out. 

After a few rounds of Halo on Liam’s Xbox at his place, Sophia kicked Zayn and Louis out, claiming they had a special date night planned. 

Zayn didn’t mind the slightest, but Louis was left to his own devices, and all he could think about was Harry. Since it had been hours from their visit to his apartment, he thought enough time had passed to text Harry without looking too desperate. 

Louis Tomlinson (4:49 PM): hi Harry, it’s Louis from earlier !

He tried a casual approach and waited by the phone for Harry’s response. Louis couldn’t help but watch his screen every few seconds to see the three little dots, indicating that Harry was typing. 

Harry Styles (4:54 PM): Hi again :)  
Louis Tomlinson (4:54 PM): Thanks for having us, your place is legit. So nice  
Harry Styles (4:55 PM): Thanks man, all it needs to be complete is… a roommate! You still considering it?  
Louis Tomlinson (4:56 PM) Defo. My share is still $750 all in?  
Harry Styles (4:57 PM): Yeah, and I might throw in a free meal here or there for added benefit :)   
Louis Tomlinson (4:57 PM) You cook? My hero…   
Harry Styles (4:57 PM) Haha! Love to cook. Lessons cost extra, tho.... ;) 

Once he saw the winky face, Louis covered his own face with his hands and took three calculated deep breaths. He knew his cheeks were red, and his mind was swirling with all kinds of inappropriate thoughts. Now that he’d seen the kitchen in person, he could picture all the surfaces for… activities. 

Louis Tomlinson (5:00 PM): I’d be happy to negotiate a deal… Maybe we need to meet and discuss these fine details ?  
Harry Styles (5:01 PM): I was just heading to the store to grab a few extra things for dinner, you free tonight? 

Louis squeezed his eyes shut and refocused to make sure he was reading his phone correctly. Harry wasn’t interested in wasting any time, so Louis wouldn’t either. For a second, Zayn’s comment about Harry flittered through his mind, but shook his head and pushed out a reply to Harry. 

Louis Tomlinson (5:02 PM): Should I bring a white or red? ;)

*****

Louis felt nervous walking up the steps to Harry’s building, the one he left only hours ago. Harry buzzed him in quickly, and Louis could smell something delicious as he approached the top of the stairs. He knocked with his right hand, holding the a bottle of wine securely in his left. 

“Come in, come in!” Harry ushered him in the apartment, kicking his own shoes out of the doorway. “If you live here, you won’t have to knock anymore.” He said laughing at himself. 

“Thanks for inviting me back,” Louis replied, toeing his own Adidas off, revealing clean white socks. He held up a bottle of wine in his left hand, showing off to Harry. 

“Wasn’t sure what you were making, but picked out a Malbec. It’ll go with mostly anything,” he assured him. “At least that’s what the clerk said at the store,” Louis added hastily.

Harry’s left hand grabbed for the bottle, holding it up to inspect the label. “This looks expensive,” he raised his eyes at Louis, hoping he didn’t spend a lot of money on it. 

Louis just shrugged and blushed, craning his neck to look directly in Harry’s eyes. He was much taller than him. 

“It’s a special occasion?” 

“You’re gonna live here?” Harry asked, his eyes becoming large. “Like, for real?”

Louis nodded animatedly, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. Harry looked so happy and excited and Louis couldn’t help but reach forward to wrap his arms around Harry’s larger frame.

“Yes!” Louis murmured into his chest. 

“Oh, uh, hugs!” Harry said awkwardly, taking a few seconds longer to wrap his arms around Louis’ slender shoulders, trying not to drop the wine bottle in his hand. 

Louis felt the press of the wine bottle against his back and couldn’t have cared less, and instead moved his hand up and down Harry’s back reassuringly. 

“Sorry, I like hugs.” Louis admitted to Harry as they finally pulled apart, both wearing hesitant smiles. 

Harry ushered him further into the apartment to sit at the island, pulling out a bar stool. “Dinner’s almost ready. Let me just open this so it can breathe for a few minutes, and I can plate everything up.” Harry floated around the counter, reaching in a drawer full of kitchen utensils. 

“It smells amazing, thank you for doing this,” he admired Harry. Louis never turned down the opportunity for a home cooked meal, especially if he didn’t have to contribute to it. He wished he was more useful in the kitchen. “I could smell it from the stairs!”

“That’ll be the grilled chicken, I might have gone a bit too happy on the seasoning. I’ve been a bit out of sorts the past few days,” Harry tried to explain, “So just pinch me if you see me spacing out.” 

Louis’ not entirely sure if he’s joking or being serious, but any reason to touch Harry is a valid one. “What’s got you out of sorts?” 

Louis watched Harry reach up to a higher cabinet and pull out two wine glasses by the stems. His white t-shirt pulled up, revealing gorgeous skin and the beginnings of a tattoo that begs to be identified. At quick glance they might be leaves or flowers. 

“It’s kind of what you said earlier, when you toured the apartment?” Harry began to say, “Things just seem a little too good to be true right now. My job is going really well, you might live here, and I’ll be starting my last year of school soon.” He placed both hands palm down on the countertop and leaned forward, looking directly at Louis. 

Green eyes connected to blue. A few seconds of intensity passed between them silently. 

“This many good things can’t be real, right?” Harry asked rhetorically. 

“I don’t know Harry, you made me chicken and what looks like mashed potatoes. If there is dessert I will agree with you completely. It’s just too good to be true,” Louis joked, trying to make Harry smile. His lips had turned down in a slight frown and Louis would do anything to see his dimples instead.

His plan had worked slightly, and Harry just smirked. “I’m being serious, Lou!” 

“Harry, trust me. I’ve had all day to think about “too good to be true,” he admitted, “and you know what I’ve come up with? Nothing. I think you’ve just got to let life happen sometimes.”

“So that’s your approach?” Harry asked, his hands still splayed widely across the countertop. Louis looked at the spaces between his fingers, before reaching to his back pocket and pulling out a folded piece of paper, which he knew had his signature on it. He thrust the paper towards Harry, whose eyes flashed with easy recognition. 

“That’s my approach,” Louis said, looking with his lashes down from the lease agreement up to Harry’s now-smiling face. 

“Maybe I’ll try it too,” he responded, his fingers brushing over the bottom of the page where Louis’ loopy signature and today’s date was written. 

One green and one blue set of eyes looked momentarily at the semi-crumpled paper, which now seemed to hold all the promise in the world. 

*****

After many glasses of wine, including opening a second bottle, the boys sat eating dinner with all the window’s open and a “Dine and Unwind” playlist playing in the background. Harry and Louis lapsed into a familiarity that to others, would look like it cultivated over years instead of hours. 

The sun had begun to set casting shadows throughout the room and the overhead fixture twinkled light over the kitchen table. Harry and Louis were none the wiser as time passed around them. 

Already had were conversations of their upbringing and childhood and how they ended up in Chicago, to embarrassing stories from their college days, which Louis mercilessly mocked Harry for only being 21 years old. 

“Seriously?” Harry questioned, a fake huff in his tone. “You’re barely older than me. One year is nothing!” He leaned forward, showing off his angry eyes to Louis.

“Harold, Harold…” Louis had begun to reason, trailing off to sip the last of his wine. Harry failed not to smile at his new nickname, even though Harry had shown him his Wisconsin driver's license, which clearly showed his full name was only Harry Styles. No Harold in sight.

“It makes you sound distin--- distinguished? Is that the right word?” Louis tilted his head, considering. “This wine has gotten to my vocabulary..” He thumbed the stem of his wine glass, eyes focused to Harry’s wide eyes then traveled to the waves of his curly hair, the dimple peeking from his left cheek, and finally the delicate fingers that held an unused fork. Louis had wondered earlier why there were two laid out on the table. 

“I might have one last surprise,” Harry mentioned, leaning forward on the wooden table, resting on his elbows with hands clasped around the silver utensil. His eyes were bright and glassy, easily effects of the wine and from spending time with a one, Louis Tomlinson. 

“Well, out with it Harold!” Louis urged, his hands animatedly gesturing towards the younger boy.

“It’s… dessert?” Harry couldn’t help but announce with a shy smile on his face. 

“Harry Freaking Styles! You have been holding out of me for hours that there is dessert! Truly unreasonable,” Louis attempted to chastise, but couldn’t help returning Harry’s enthusiasm. 

“Edward. Harry Edward Styles, and it’s chocolate lava cake, unless you don’t like chocolate,” Harry said, his brows knitting together. “You like chocolate right? Fuck, I should’ve got something sweet or fruity, instead. Not everyone loves chocolate like me.” Harry rambled nervously, looking down to his empty plate and away from Louis’ curious stare. 

“What person in their right mind would turn down a chocolate lava cake? Fucking idiots, if they do.” Louis pushed his chair back slightly, reaching in front of him to grab his and Harry’s cleared dinner plates. “I’ll clear this, you sir, are on dessert duty.” Louis gestured in Harry’s direction. “You wouldn’t have any vanilla ice cream here, would you?”

Harry’s eyes lit up, nodding. He should’ve known better than to worry about something so silly as chocolate. “What type of roommate do you take me for? ‘Course I do.” Harry internally thanked himself for being an emotional wreck last week after re-watching the entire series of Desperate Housewives, which required a large tub of Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream.

Harryheated up two small lava cakes in the microwave, plating them in small white bowls and added a scoop of melty vanilla ice cream. After putting the dishes in the dishwasher, Louis watched Harry move, catching each one of his graceful movements and beautiful smiles.

Louis was in danger of falling fast and hard. Living with Harry could be the best or worst thing for him, but he was willing to take that chance.

The boys finished off the last bits of their meal on Harry’s wide couch, settling into the cushions to watch reruns of Parks and Recreation from Harry’s Netflix. 

“Where did you get these?” Louis asked, gathering extra chocolate syrup it from the middle of the lava cake onto his spoon in a gooey mess. “So fucking good,” he complimented, grinning at Harry. A bit of chocolate sauce lingered on his lip and Harry fixated on the mark for a few seconds too long, having to shake himself from the daze.

“There’s a new bakery a few blocks west of here. It’s near the Red Line station. They did a sampling at an event I worked at this week, and they were to die for so I went back to pick these up.” 

“Best decision ever,” Louis noted, locking eyes with Harry. His statement was loaded, trying to convey that he meant more than just Harry’s expert dessert choice. “All of this,” he added quietly, reaching one hand to gesture to the rest of the apartment. 

“Yeah?” Harry implored.

“Yeah, I really think so,” Louis said with a certainty he didn’t know was in him. Being with Harry for a few hours had done away with any fears he would have about their arrangement not being a good fit. Now he was slightly worried it would be too good of a fit, but he struck those thoughts down.

Louis devoured the last bites of his cake and ice cream, making sure to lick the spoon of any leftover chocolate while Harry’s eyes lingered on his tongue. Fuzzy from the wine, Louis’ presence and too much sugar, Harry felt like he was floating on Cloud 9. All left-over ice cream was melted in his bowl, long forgotten. 

“You have a bit left here,” Harry reached out, gesturing to Louis’ lip. His eyes widened when Louis tried to lick at the spot but missed. “Let me,” Harry offered, already securing his hand against Louis’ chin to softly brush his thumb against the spot, removing all lasting traces of chocolate. 

Both boys were so close, nearly on top of each other and no one seemed to mind. Harry leaned over across Louis’ lap, with their faces close enough to see each others freckles. The sound of Leslie Knope’s booming voice came through the TV, shaking them both from their trance, turning back quicklyto watch the episode. 

The theme of the day, “too good to be true,” ran through Harry’s mind once again when the second episode of Parks and Recreation was about five minutes in. Leslie Knope was planning a Town Hall meeting on screen when Harry first felt Louis cuddle closer to him, the left of his body pressed up against Harry’s right. No longer was there noticeable space between their bodies, which pleased Harry. While it felt really different, he couldn’t get over the fact that he liked how Louis’ warm little body pressed up against his.

Both boys settled further into the couch slowly, their bodies meshing together with each passing minute. Caught up in his own head, Harry thought back to the last time he’d been It’s been a too intimate and close with someone else.

It was a few months ago at the end of the semester, and him and Cara were hitting it off during a night out with Nick and some friends. They both sat in a booth nursing their drinks, when Cara pulled him out to dance. Drunk and unashamed, they grinded on each other until Harry looked around and noticed another, smaller, delicate body attached to Cara’s front. 

Cara had one hand on Harry’s hip, the other and the girl in front of her. All three danced together for the next few songs, until Harry got too hot and needed a break, heading back to their booth. 

Nick caught him right away, smirking. “Three-some tonight, Styles? Naughty boy,” he praised, clapping Harry on the back with a wide hand. “Don’t lose sight of those two beauties.” 

“Gonna get one last drink,” Harry announced, leaving a few lingering stares from Nick’s school friends as he headed to the back bar. Instead of ordering right away, he leaned against the edge of the the wide, wooden bar, staring back at the dance floor.

He noticed Cara and her friend right away, still moulded together for all to see. Ever since Harry met her he thought she was incredibly beautiful and he knew he wasn’t the only one. 

His eyes kept scanning the rest of the room, taking in the rest of the crowded club. It was dark and smoky. The DJ booth was up on a stage, near the far right of the large space. Small tables and booths were all around the bar area, where he was currently lounging, until someone bumped into him. 

“Are you going to order, or just take up space?” Harry could hear, even over the loud music. The voice was connected to a man, curled up next to Harry with his mouth near his ear. Moving his head slightly to the right, Harry took in the well-dressed man with dark jeans and a white shirt, smirking in his direction. 

“Still debating,” Harry answered honestly, tugging his bottom lip between his teeth. The man was good looking, and by the smirk on his face, he knew it too. Harry had no idea how he managed to always find the most attractive people in the room. He was shorter than himself, which he preferred.

“How about you do one, and I do the other?” The man offered, gesturing to the bartender. “I can get us both a refill. What would you like…?” His voice trailed off in question.

“M’Harry, and you are?” 

“Aiden,” the man replied showing off wide, bright white teeth. It was a bit disarming to Harry but he couldn’t look away. It turns out, Aiden couldn’t either. They spent the next hour making awkward too-loud conversation by whispering in each other's’ ear at the crowded bar before Aiden finally made his move.

He looked directly into Harry’s eyes, giving him a few seconds lead to turn away. When he didn’t, their lips pressed together softly and briefly. Aiden did it two more times, gentle pecks against Harry’s plump lips.

Aiden pulled away smiling, his eyes light and curious. “First time?”

Harry wanted to lie and tell Aiden he’d kissed guys many times before, but his blush gave him away. He just shrugged, embarrassed and not sure how to respond to the experienced man in front of him. 

Aiden leaned closer, brushing his lips against his ear before speaking. It sent a shiver down Harry’s spine, electrifying him as if he touched a lightning rod during a storm. 

“Kiss who you want to kiss and like whoever you want to like. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s wrong, okay?” His voice was thick and commanding, which made Harry even more weak in the knees. Harry grabbed onto Aiden’s elbow for support and the two were pressed together from head to toe. 

He nodded at Aiden, since he wasn’t capable of anything more in that moment.

Aiden read the signals quickly, trailing his lips against the shell of his ear to the base of his jaw, and down the side of his neck. Instinctively, Harry reached both arms around Aiden, tugging him impossibly closer with his large hands splayed across his back. 

When they locked eyes again, Aiden mouthed “Alright?” with a smile that melted Harry further. It was the first of many encounters with Aiden, who ended up showing him the ropes in more ways than one. 

Harry was brought out of his memory when Louis yawned loudly, apologizing right away. “Oops, sorry.” His eyes crinkled in the corners with sleepiness. His head was almost resting on Harry’s shoulder.

It’d been months since his fling with Aiden ended and Harry was more than ready for letting someone new in. Cuddling with Louis made him feel warm all over, realizing how comfortable and easy they were together. 

He couldn’t put those thoughts out of his mind, which troubled him more. They had be swirling back and forth all night, confusing and complicating everything. Louis was going to be his roommate, not his boyfriend.

Louis felt Harry’s body tense up and looked at him with kind, soft eyes. He rubbed his small hand soothingly over Harry’s arm, which was draped across his body. “Everything okay, Harry?” 

“Yeah, yeah, m’fine,” he answered quickly, avoiding Louis’ gaze. Louis touching Harry affectionately did nothing to calm the fires in his mind and blazing across his body. If he kept it up, Harry would be feeling heat in other places very soon. 

“If you say so,” Louis muttered, his mouth turning down. 

One episode later, Harry still sat a little too rigidly on the couch, despite Louis’ subtle attempts to cuddle closer or touch him softly. Louis tried in part, because he couldn’t deny an attraction to him, or stay away from the clean, warm scent radiating off his skin.

He also wanted desperately to put Harry at ease, since something seemed to be distracting him. It didn’t occur to Louis that his tactic was working against him until the episode finished and the credits rolled on the TV screen. He worried he had overstayed his welcome. 

Louis made his move to leave, wanting to give Harry his space. “It’s getting late..” he said, stretching out his arms wide. Louis angled forward, away from Harry, to stretch his back and slowly stand up. They had been in the same position for too long, and Louis’ body felt stiff. 

Harry finally snapped out of his daze, watching Louis’ frame move back and forth, looking at the hands now resting on his hips. He saw the small fingers splayed against his bunched t-shirt, and wondered what it would feel like if he put his hands over Louis’. 

Shaking his head, Harry looked up to Louis’ eyes and noticed crinkles in the corners of his eyes, his lip caught between his teeth. 

“Yeah, sorry it is late.” Harry’s eyes flashed to his living room window, noticing how dark it was outside. “I should walk you home,” he offered sincerely, trying to gauge Louis’ reaction. 

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine,” Louis said, moving his hands into his pockets. “S’not that far from here..” 

“But I’ll worry,” Harry admitted shyly. He reached towards his side table next to the couch, where his iPhone rested. Pressing the home button he saw the time and hadn’t realized it was after midnight. “Umm..” he mumbled, “you could just stay here?” His words rushed out before he properly considered them.  

Louis pulled out his phone too, which was hiding in his back pocket and sat ignored all night. He was having too much fun with Harry to care. His screen lit up with messages from Zayn, Liam and his mother. He quickly read Liam’s text, who was wondering why he was ignoring him all night.

“Um..” Louis hesitated. He was still unsure of Harry’s mood change, not sure if he was starting to regret the new arrangement. Maybe some distance would be good, giving Harry time to think. 

“C’mon,” Harry urged, his voice a bit higher than usual. His eyes were pleading. “M’sorry I was zoned out for this last bit, I’m okay, really,” he said, only half-convincing Louis. “The wine made me fuzzy,” Harry reasoned again.

“Maybe you just need time to think this all over? It’s a lot at once.. I-I don’t want you to regret this.” Louis finally said, going for pure honesty. 

“Regret?” Harry’s voice cracked with surprise. “God, Louis! No.. not at all.” He pulled himself off of the couch, now standing awkwardly next to Louis in the space between the couch and the coffee table. 

He wanted to touch Louis’ hands, to show him, to convey what he couldn’t really say. “It’s not about that, ok? Just trust me, please. Me and you being roommates will work.” His voice wavered only slightly, his eyes cast down to meet Louis’ blue-green ones.

“Yeah?” Louis asked, lifting his brows. A small smile replaced his earlier concerned look. 

“Yeah,” Harry replied confidently. He had to restore Louis’ faith in him. “We’ll make it work, you know? Like if you’re super messy, or leave your socks everywhere.” He joked, poking Louis in the stomach. 

“Oww!” Louis moved back, pretending to be hurt. “Just for that I am going to leave dirty dishes everywhere, clothes all over the furniture, and I probably won’t close the door when I go pee.”

Harry just shrugged, his lips curling into a bigger smile. “I’d still have you.”

Louis laughed at him. “Whatever you say, weirdo.”

“So, you’ll stay tonight, please?” Harry offered again, his top lip curling into a pout. 

“You’re not playing fair.” But, Louis knew when to pick his battles and he was over-tired from all the wine. “In the future, that won’t actually work on me. But I’m beat, I can take the couch.” He gestured to where they were just sitting. “Got a spare pillow?”

“No way,” Harry argued, “You’re my guest, you take the bed. I offered. Sheets and clean and everything.. let me just show you,” Harry rounded the couch, gesturing at Louis to follow. 

They both went to Harry’s bedroom, which Louis had briefly seen before. It was clean and organized, included a recently made bed with gray sheets and a fluffy-white duvet that was wrinkled in spots from the dryer. 

It looked cozy and inviting, which tempted Louis even more. He hated to think about how much he wanted to be in that bed, but not alone, and not to sleep. “It’s plenty big..” Louis speculated, shrugging his shoulders. He acted like it was no big deal, even for roommates. 

Especially for Harry, it was a very big deal. He had never slept with a boy in this particular bed. It was his safe zone, one of his favorite, most cherished things. 

“You don’t kick when you sleep, do you?” Harry asked, leaning down to pull off his socks in an attempt to hide the blush on his face.

“I don’t believe so,” Louis answered honestly, turning to sit at the edge of the bed. He watched Harry throw his socks in a laundry hamper and rummage through his dresser. He pulled out a red t-shirt that was neatly folded from a stack, but held it in his hands. 

“This isn’t awkward, right?” Harry asked, turning his body back towards Louis, but keeping his eyes on the taupe rug in the center of the room. It neatly covered worn, hardwood floors that creaked slightly when you walked. “I mean we just met and all of this has happened.. kind of a whirlwind, right?” 

“You’re worried because you get on well with your new roommate?” Louis joked, trying to ease Harry’s tension. He still was reluctant to look at him, and it worried Louis a bit. He tried to work through in his own head why Harry’s mood kept shifting back and forth. 

“It’s just happened a bit fast, hasn’t it?” Seems too easy! Like it’s..” Harry doesn’t finish, because Louis interrupted with, “too good to be true?” 

Harry flickered his eyes to the billowy curtains against the window, flowing as a night breeze carries through the open window. He nodded, his eyes glued on the rug again. 

“Look at me,” Louis asked, his voice soft but commanding. Harry immediately obliged. “Now c’mere,” Louis continued to instruct. “More,” he murmured, as Harry shuffled his bare feet right in front of Louis, the red t-shirt still clutched in his hand.  

“You’re shaking a little,” Louis observed. 

“It’s just a chill,” Harry stammered, but Louis saw a wavering look in his eyes that told him he was lying. 

Instead of press the issue, he knew they were both tired and a bit buzzed on wine. He decided to take a different approach, “You going to sleep in that, or make yourself a nice little cape?” 

Harry’s lips curled into a small smile and he instinctively reached up to grab the t-shirt and whack Louis in the face with it. Even though it was a soft, weak attempt against Louis, he dramatically fell back on the bed with a fake cry. 

“You wounded me!” Louis wailed and Harry giggled quietly. Louis’ shirt had ridden up on his stomach, revealing clean, tan skin. Harry’s hand unconsciously reached forward to touch, until he pulled back quickly, realizing how close he was to touch. 

“It was something for _you_ to sleep in, Lou,” Harry offered, with heavy emphasis. He dropped the t-shirt onto Louis’ body, which he propped up on his elbows. Louis angled his head up to look at Harry, standing tall in front of him. 

“Very kind of you, soon-to-be roomie,” Louis joked. “I’m going to go change and get ready for bed.”

When Louis was finally ready for bed, he turned off the main light on his way to Harry’s bed, finding him tucked neatly under the comforter. With plenty of room on the right side, Louis slid between the sheets and fluffed up the pillow before he laid his head down. The cool breeze carried through the room and kept the air light and crisp, allowing for an excellent night of rest after an exhausting day. 

When all he could hear was Harry’s deep breathing and the rustle of air through the room, Louis became hyper-aware that he was laying half naked next to an equally half naked Harry. His mind rushed through the night’s events of wine and conversation and half-hearted attempts at flirting on his part, and he didn’t concluded he didn’t know up from down. 

He learned long ago to never assume or judge. When Louis would inevitably wake up with a hard on next to Harry, his new roommate would know pretty easily which way Louis swung. It’s not as if he hid his sexuality to others. He’d come a long way since high school, overcoming all those feelings of inadequacy and feeling “wrong.”

While him and Harry had talked a lot tonight, they hadn’t talked about _that_.

Louis’ thoughts swirled between images of Harry’s smile and the sound of his goofy laugh, next to him Harry’s deep and even breathing eventually calmed his overactive mind enough to rest. Everything slowly settled into an easy, welcoming fog. He hadn’t felt that peaceful in a very long time. 

It only startled Louis slightly when Harry turned and moved his body slightly closer to Louis’, mumbling incoherently “M’glad you’re here Lou,” as he clutched his pillow with large hands. 

The last thing Louis remembered before falling asleep was turning his body towards Harry’s and counting his eyelashes one by one, the natural syncing of their breaths together lulling him into a deep sleep. 

 


End file.
